March 10, 2015
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - After playing its first 10 games on the road, Rutgers baseball (1-9) is set to play its home opener Wednesday at 3 p.m. versus Iona (3-10). The Scarlet Knights have won their last 13 at Bainton Field, tied for the second-longest home active winning streak in the nation. The game will be broadcast live on WRSU 88.7 FM.
| Iona (3-10) at Rutgers (1-9) - Bainton Field |
| Game 11 | March 11 - 3 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | Rutgers - RHP John O'Reilly (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs.
Iona - RHP Joe DeRosa (0-0, 3.86 ERA) |
| Coverage | WRSU 88.7 FM | | Stats |
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights have won their past six home openers and are 7-1 overall in first games at Bainton Field since the facility opened in 2007. Last year RU prevailed 13-5 over Hofstra behind a 15-hit attack. The 13-game active home winning streak matches USC and is one short of Texas A&M, as it started April 16 and includes nine conference contests.
RU is coming off a series at No. 24 Florida Atlantic, now having played seven games against ranked competition in the early portion of the 2015 season. Sophomore Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) blasted his second home run of the season in the series opener, while junior Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.) had a two-run double in the finale.
Freshman John O'Reilly (Northvale, N.J.) pitched four innings of relief against the Owls without surrendering an earned run. The right-hander is scheduled to make his first career start Wednesday in what will be his second collegiate appearance. Senior Jon Young (Old Bridge, N.J.) leads the staff with five appearances out of the bullpen so far this year.
NOTABLE
RU does not have a home series until the seventh weekend of the season ... the Scarlet Knights ended the 2014 home schedule with a 12-2 win over USF May 11 ... Rutgers went 19-4 overall at home last season and is 107-57-1 (.652) at the Bainton Field since it opened in 2007 ... junior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) hit .371 at home last year, while sophomore Mike Carter (Bloomfield, N.J.) was at .347 with 22 RBIs ... Carter has reached base safely in nine of the 10 games in 2015 and 34 of the last 36 dating back to last season ... senior Vinny Zarrillo (Forked River, N.J.) leads the offense with 11 hits and needs 27 more to reach 200 for his career ... thirty-two of the 35 players on the roster hail from the state of New Jersey.
SCOUTING IONA
The Gaels have also been on the road for each of their games so far this season. The team most recently dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Navy March 8, but owns wins over Delaware State and Lehigh. Matt Byrne leads the offense with a .340 average and a .456 on-base percentage, while Kyle DiVico has eight RBIs. Right-hander Joe DeRosa will make his four appearance of the season on the mound and first start.
Head coach Pat Carey is in his 10th season at the helm of the Gaels, who play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Click here for more information on Iona baseball.
THE SERIES
Rutgers leads the all-time series against Iona, 24-5, and is 8-2 in its last 10 games against the Gaels. The Scarlet Knights took two games over Iona at Bainton Field last year, while the Gaels won the contest played in New Rochelle, N.Y.
May 1, 2014: Rutgers 10, Iona 5 - RECAP | BOX
April 2, 2014: Iona 6, Rutgers 4 - RECAP | BOX
April 1, 2014: Rutgers 7, Iona 5 - RECAP | BOX UP NEXT
Rutgers will embark on a spring break trip that will include stops at Indiana State, Ball State and Purdue. It will involve eight games in 10 days.
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